UPBEAT Burnley boss Stan Ternent faces a morning roll-call tomorrow before naming the side he hopes can hit back from Saturday's derby defeat.

The Clarets desperately need to take maximum points from Luton Town at Turf Moor tomorrow night to keep the top two in sight after losing 3-0 to promotion favourites Preston North End following the dismissal of defender Dean West.

Mitchell Thomas and Andy Payton are set to return but there are injury worries over Andy Cooke, Ian Cox and Gordon Armstrong.

And Ternent won't know until tomorrow whether wing-back Graham Branch is available after suffering a family bereavement.

Armstrong failed to come through a lunchtime fitness test on his calf injury ahead of the Preston game and looks unlikely to be risked tomorrow.

However, Ternent is more optimistic about the prospects of Cox and Cooke, who also collected knocks to the calf in Saturday's defeat, which left Burnley fifth in the table.

"Hopefully Andy will be alright but I'll know better tomorrow. Coxy also got a whack on the calf but I'm hoping he will be okay," said the boss, who won't name his side until after training in the morning.

Ternent admitted that Saturday's defeat, which followed a goal after just 90 seconds and then West's 38th-minute dismissal, was a setback. But he is still backing his side to get back into the automatic promotion picture, starting with three points against Luton.

He said: "It's hard enough with 11, never mind 10. But we're not making excuses and let's see if we can bounce back.

"Preston lost at home and then bounced back and you've got to be capable of doing that if you're going to be successful. It's important that we bounce back and certainly the team's good enough, there's no question of doubt about that."

He added: "We're talking 42 points to play for. You've got to believe and if you do that you can move mountains, which I've said many occasions.

"I'm happy with my squad of players. They've done extremely well this season and we'll be there or thereabouts. I haven't seen anything that will change my mind."

And Clarets winger Glen Little also believes Burnley can put Saturday's defeat behind them to keep their promotion dream alive. Despite being eight points adrift of the top two, Little believes an automatic place is still achievable.

"I still think there's a chance, until it's impossible to get the points and you take the other route and maybe the play-offs," he said.

"But at the moment there's a long way to go. I would like to think we've got an easier run-in than the other teams and hopefully along the way teams do us favours.

"I remember this time last year Preston beat us and we went 13 unbeaten so it's not the first time they've beaten us. "We will just get on with it and it would be nice to go 13 unbeaten again."

And Little is looking to kick-start that revival against out-of-sorts Luton.

"We haven't lost two on the spin so we've got to keep that going," he added.

"Luton aren't a bad footballing side but against anyone at home we'll fancy our chances.

"On Saturday it didn't go for us, but all credit to Preston. They are a good side, they are top of the table and they deserved it on the day.

"I've played in a few Preston derbies now and you're desperate to win for the supporters.

"It's disappointing but we've got to get on with it now."

Ian Cox, who will be glad to see Thomas restored alongside him to the defence, also believes it's far too early to be writing off the Clarets' chances of going straight up.

"It's not over yet," he insisted. "The top teams have got to play each other so points are going to be dropped somewhere along the line."

The FA are still waiting for a report into Saturday's game from referee John Kirkby, who was struck on the head by something apparently thrown from the away end. Burnley will then await any FA response.

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